[22 POV] Year 5, Day 205 (2 days until race)
The decision was made. Two days of training. Whatever it took to give Kira some chance at survival.
X led them back to the platform. Time to find the wyverns. Time to see what Kira could actually do.
They used the space-shifting mechanism again. Reality warping. Destination: different section of sanctuary.
They emerged in valley surrounded by mountains. The rock faces were riddled with caves. Hundreds of them. Maybe thousands. And in many, 22 could see wyverns. Resting. Nesting. Moving about.
Given the visible population, there were easily hundreds of wyverns here. Possibly more in deeper caves. Extensive breeding operation. Professional management.
Near the transfer platform stood several buildings. Administrative structures. Storage. Living quarters maybe. Functional architecture designed for purpose rather than aesthetics.
Few people approached once they noticed the group arriving. Moving with purpose. Professional bearing.
“Master!” One called out.
22 felt surprise. Sharp surprise. Unexpected.
X never had disciples or minions for what she knew. Always preferred going solo. Working alone. Operating independently.
The guards outside had seen him probably as simply higher-ranking member. Boss figure. Authority in organizational hierarchy.
But these people here? Clearly different. The look in their eyes wasn’t just respect or professional courtesy. It was teacher. Genuine respect mixed with affection. Admiration that wasn’t compelled or extracted through fear.
22 felt envy stir. Unwelcome emotion. Uncomfortable recognition.
She’d had many disciples in her tower. Dozens, hundreds over centuries. All of them worms. Every single one. Wanting pieces of her power. Her knowledge. Her resources. Her position.
She’d almost wanted to laugh when she’d heard about the civil war that erupted once she left. It had been quite clear during the end when her power started dwindling. Everyone busy forming factions. Preparing for the day she was no more. Too much fear planted in them to dare act until there was even remotely a chance they could fail.
22 wondered idly who’d won among those worms. Who’d emerged victorious from the infighting and power struggles.
Actually, she was quite sure who. One among them had been clearly superior to others in almost everything. Competent. Skilled. Ruthless when necessary. Her most promising student.
But the image was almost laughable. That disciple probably having serious self-doubt right now. Tearing herself apart trying to understand. When someone with a title like Archmage dies, there’s high chance for their most promising disciple to inherit it. The title should have transferred. Should have recognized the successor. Should have passed to the worthy.
But clearly no title had been given out. No announcement. No recognition. Nothing.
So that disciple was probably thinking HARD. Questioning everything. Why didn’t she get it? Was she not worthy? Was she not skilled enough? 22 was clearly dead now—everyone knew Archmages didn’t just disappear for years without consequences. The system should have processed it. Should have transferred the title.
But it hadn’t.
And somewhere in her old tower, her best student was probably going insane trying to understand her inadequacy. Her failure. Her unworthiness.
22 huffed. Actual laugh escaping despite her control.
Damn. That got everyone’s attention.
X looked at her. Curious. “What?”
So 22 answered. Couldn’t help herself. “Since when did you become a teacher? You always kept everything to yourself. Never shared. Never trained anyone.”
X shrugged. Casual. “Well, I work with these people. It’s always better to have competent people around you. Makes life easier. Makes work better. Makes everything function smoothly.”
22 pushed. Had to know. “You’re not worried any of them might one day surpass you?”
X made really funny face. Processing the question like it was foreign concept. Then laughed himself. Genuine amusement. “Oh, you’re comparing them with YOUR disciples? That’s the problem right there. Large difference.”
He continued. Clinical assessment but without cruelty. Just observation. “You never really trusted any of them. And all of them deep inside dreamed of taking over your position one day. Competing. Scheming. Waiting for weakness to exploit.”
Pause. Something shifting. More genuine showing through shameless mask. “Here? We all just work under same master. The boss. If any of them surpasses me, perhaps I can learn something in return. Or they’ll show me new heights to reach. Maybe they’ll discover something I missed. I’ve actually gotten number of nice surprises over the years from them. Innovations. Techniques. Perspectives I hadn’t considered.”
22 processed that. The fundamental difference. Trust versus suspicion. Cooperation versus competition. Shared purpose instead of individual ambition.
She’d never had that. Never even considered it possible with disciples. The very concept felt alien.
Then something clicked. Uncomfortable. Revealing.
Is servitude the only way to have disciples at her level? The only path to genuine teaching without competition poisoning everything?
She’d actually enjoyed teaching some of the maids. Proper instruction. Real learning. But the magical talent wasn’t there. Too low. She would never have accepted any of them into her tower. Standards existed for reasons.
Beta maybe? But Beta was healer. Different field entirely. Limited overlap with 22’s expertise. Beta had probably learned more from the old couple running the temple in Borderwatch by now anyway. They’d even built new structure for the temple next to City Guard headquarters. Official reason: Beta’s security, shorter travel distance. Extra benefit: gave Bunny influence over another important facility in the city. That maid collected strategic positions like others collected stamps.
Then there was the bear mage Reis from Black Wings party. He had skills to join her old tower. Real potential. Genuine talent. And he’d been eager to learn from her. Practically vibrating with interest during their brief conversations.
But not much time to actually teach him yet. Too busy. Too many distractions.
And then… Alpha.
Not much magical talent compared to tower standards. Would probably not have qualified for admission. But she made it back in other fields. Intelligence. Strategy. Organization. That new seeding procedure she’d developed was genius work. Absolutely genius. Using his theories about seed mechanics and loyalty binding. Creating perfect introduction plan for new recipients. Systematic brainwashing disguised as orientation. Brilliant execution.
22 looked at X directly. Statement forming. Clear. Certain. “I have a disciple now. Alpha.”
X blinked. Surprised. Then smiled. Genuine. “Good for you.”
But everyone else was looking at her strangely. Void. Null. Spy manifesting with confused expression. Even the Twins tilting heads in synchronization.
Void finally asked carefully. Gently. “Have you said it to her?”
22 froze.
[Miscalculation. Social error. Significant oversight.]
[Assumed without confirming. Never communicated. Stupid.]
She’d never actually told Alpha. Never made it official. Never acknowledged it.
She opened the seed network immediately. Long-distance connection. Reaching across miles back to Borderwatch. Finding Alpha.
«Alpha. This is 22. I’m claiming you as my disciple. Officially. Thank you for your service and dedication.»
The response came back after brief delay. Distance making communication slow.
«Teacher?» Confusion. Disbelief. Then—joy. Pure, unrestrained joy flooding through the connection. «I—thank you! Thank you so much! I won’t disappoint you! I’ll work harder! I’ll prove myself worthy of this honor!»
«Busy now. Things to handle. Talk later.» 22 cut the connection. Fast. Efficient. Before the emotion could overwhelm.
Void’s voice came. Warm. Proud. “Good. I’m proud of you.”
X looked confused. “What?”
Spy’s dry voice cut in—audible to everyone, not just through the seed network. «22 is smart. Also dense. Needed multiple hints to actually say it. Alpha’s probably in absolute heaven right now. That girl’s been waiting for this. Trying to prove herself. Working herself to exhaustion hoping for acknowledgment.»
X blinked. Processing. Understanding. “Oh. You just… never told her? After all this time?”
Void nodded. Agreement. Support. “Sometimes the smartest people miss the obvious emotional connections. But she got there. That’s what matters.”
22 stood there processing. Feeling strange. Uncomfortable but… good? Maybe?
[I have a disciple. An actual disciple. One who won’t scheme for my position. One who serves the same master. One who just wants to learn and contribute and be useful.]
[How did this happen?]
No time to process it further though.
The group of X’s students had reached them, and work needed to be done.
X addressed the one who’d called him Master. Elf. Female. Young-looking but probably centuries old. Beautiful in that effortless way elves managed. “Galadriel. Please get us two wyverns. Need to teach this one here—” pointing to Kira “—how to ride a dragon in two days. She needs to compete in race for reasons I find hard to fully explain.”
22 noticed how the elf—Galadriel—gave look to X. Then to Kira.
Yes. She knew that look. Recognized it immediately.
X had definitely had fun with Galadriel. And Galadriel thought Kira was X’s next adventure. Next conquest. Next woman receiving his shameless attention and professional interest combined.
Bastard. Bastard X.
22’s gaze swept across the other females present. Given the looks from few of them, X was clearly taking his “teacher” role very seriously. In multiple capacities. Professional AND personal instruction apparently.
X then mentioned needing to fetch something to help with Kira’s transformation issue. Gestured for Kira to follow. “Come with me. Need to get you fitted properly.”
They walked off together. Few others also departed, probably to retrieve the wyverns for training.
22 looked around while waiting. Professional assessment. Clinical observation. Definitely not jealous evaluation of competition.
Beautiful females everywhere. Had X had fun with all of them? Given how his eyes had jumped between them before leaving—probably. Most of them at least. Maybe all of them eventually.
The males here gave him different looks when he passed. Simpler. More straightforward. New conquest. Fresh meat. Approachable target despite—or because of—his shameless reputation.
That sterilization spell 22 had cast on X all those years ago clearly hadn’t worked as expected. Hadn’t reduced his appetite. Hadn’t limited his activities. Hadn’t curbed his behavior at all.
Just made things worse. Removed consequences. Freed him to indulge without restriction or complication or responsibility.
Bastard.
22 had an idea while standing there. Watching X’s absence. Watching the beautiful females track where he’d gone. Watching the males assess each other with territorial awareness.
Perhaps the Divine One could help. Or his other half—Null—could understand her perspective with some well-placed examples.
No. Couldn’t ask Divine One for help with something so silly. So petty. So personal and inappropriate for servant to request.
But Null might understand. Might even see the practical concerns hidden under personal frustration.
And there was another offer to make. Something more legitimate. More valuable. More appropriate for professional servant to suggest.
Plus—X had shared contact information recently. Someone who could help with an issue that troubled him. Possible breakthrough. That alone made this negotiation worthwhile.
22 opened private channel through seed network. Direct to Null only.
«Mistress.»
«What?» Null’s response came strangely. Slowly. Delayed processing.
Was she still thinking about X’s baby comment? That theoretical offspring discussion?
Actually, that might help with what 22 wanted to propose now.
«I have two offers. Two suggestions that might benefit you and Master Void.»
Pause. Organizing carefully. Making it professional and logical.
«First: I can teach you proper elven ways. Cultural practices. Social expectations. Traditional behaviors. Everything a personal servant to elf master should know.»
Weight building. Importance emphasized.
«While maids trained by Ealdred are excellent general-purpose servants, when it comes to elven personal service specifically… you’re quite lacking. This blood wine situation showed it clearly. You didn’t understand the significance. Didn’t recognize the cultural weight. Didn’t know how to support Master properly through it.»
22 felt slightly smug about this. Clinical assessment but accurate. Null was apocalyptic horror in maid dress. Powerful beyond measure. Devoted absolutely.
But as elven personal servant? Terrible. Gaps everywhere. Knowledge missing. Understanding absent.
And after five years of service, that was almost funny. Master too soft to force education. Null too focused on other things to seek it herself. Result: perfect devotion with imperfect execution.
[Though honestly—] 22 thought while waiting for response. [—the maids have those self-learning meetups. Share tricks. Discuss customs. Exchange lessons. She and Alpha have talked about elven traditions there extensively. Blood wine. Cultural expectations. Everything. Even the Twins have attended from time to time. Kira been to few sessions before getting too busy.]
[Null never shows up. Not once. Never participates.]
[All 22 needs is getting Null to actually attend. Listen. Learn what’s already been discussed. Repeat what’s already been taught.]
[But making it sound difficult increases the perceived value of the offer. Better negotiation position.]
22 continued. «This would make Master happier. Make your service better. Make you more valuable in the role you’ve chosen.»
Selling point established. Professional offer made.
«Second suggestion: there’s non-zero chance X might ask for seed one day. He’s clearly interested in the mechanics. You saw his examination.»
Transition smooth. Connected to first offer. Part of same package.
«If that happens, you should apply some restrictions. Control over his behavior. This kind of uncontrolled libido causes complications. Issues with focus. Problems with professional boundaries.»
The critical comparison. Appeal to shared understanding.
«You understand about not wanting to share. You don’t like sharing Master Void with others. You applied restrictions to prevent maids from approaching him. This would be similar. Same principle. Just directed differently.»
22 added the final selling point. «Additionally, restrictions would make X better suited for learning elven culture properly. I can’t teach him effectively while he’s distracted by every attractive person passing by.»
Practical reasoning. Professional logic. Everything packaged as mutual benefit.
Null thought for moment. Processing both offers. Considering implications. Then: «Hot springs?»
22 wanted to curse out loud. Managed to hold back barely.
Null’s strange obsessions. Always the hot springs. Always that impossible project.
«Three months maximum. Once we’re back in Borderwatch. Best effort. No guarantees about actual success given geological complications.»
Brief negotiation silence.
«And I’ll teach you elven ways properly. Cultural education. Everything you should know. Make you actually competent at serving elf master instead of just devoted.»
«Agreed.» Null accepted.
22 almost wanted to celebrate. YES. Multiple victories achieved.
Hot springs deadline set. X restrictions secured if he ever asked. And teaching Null properly—actually making her competent instead of just powerful—that would be satisfying project. Professional pride engaged.
Plus side benefit: X squirming under seed restrictions someday. Bastard deserved every limitation for seven hundred years of shameless behavior.
Perfect arrangement. Everyone wins. Especially 22.
Two wyverns arrived not long after. Both with saddles and full riding equipment. Handlers leading them by ropes with professional competence. Well-trained mounts responding to guidance smoothly.
The wyverns were smaller than dragons. Much smaller. Maybe ten meters long with proportional wingspan. Dragons were way beyond this scale—the ones she’d seen in the main sanctuary were massive. Thirty, forty, fifty meters or more. Ancient beings of genuine power.
These were cousins. Lesser relatives. Still dangerous. Still powerful. But fundamentally different category.
Still impressive specimens though. Scaled hide gleaming. Intelligent eyes tracking surroundings with clear awareness. Power visible in every movement despite being lesser cousins to actual dragons.
Beautiful creatures actually. 22 assessed them with professional appreciation. Good specimens. Well cared for. Healthy and responsive. Quality breeding and management showing clearly.
X returned and took the wyverns from handlers with casual expertise. “Follow me.”
They all went through the space-shifting mechanism again. Wyverns, people, everyone together.
Emerged in mountainous area. Rocky terrain. High altitude. Suitable for flight training with minimal obstacles and maximum space for errors.
They noticed Kira right away when they arrived—she was waiting for them there, laying on the ground. New addition: a collar around her neck.
It looked like a slave collar with similar enough design, but the details were different. Purpose modified and construction specialized.
Void panicked immediately. Voice tight. Controlled but stressed underneath. “What’s the meaning of this? Why is she wearing a collar?”
Clearly sensitive topic for him. Two centuries in collar himself. Trauma visible in reaction. Protectiveness showing despite not fully understanding situation.
X explained calmly with professional medical tone. “It’s special collar designed for dragon training. Gives significant pain and disrupts powers if wearer attempts unwanted actions. Not uncommon for dragons to have various negative auras or uncontrolled abilities that need external management for safety purposes.”
He gestured at Kira. “For her case, it’s set to block transformations. Full transformation specifically to that apocalyptic form we just witnessed. She probably needs to recover a bit more from testing it. The punishment the collar delivered when she tried transforming was quite substantial. Takes time to shake off that kind of pain.”
Void looked torn. Concerned. Uncomfortable with the collar concept despite understanding the necessity. The protection it provided. The lives it might save if Kira lost control during public race.
After some time, Kira stirred. Sat up slowly. Hand going to collar. Testing. Feeling the restriction and enforcement mechanism.
She looked at Void. Reassurance needed. Communication necessary. “I’m okay. It hurts if I try to transform, but otherwise I barely feel it—just a piece of metal. Necessary for safety.”
Void nodded. Still uncomfortable but accepting her choice. “If you’re sure…”
“I’m sure.” Firm. Decided. No hesitation. “Better this than killing people during the race. Better pain now than catastrophe later.”
X pulled something else from his storage. Vest. Padded. Enchanted probably based on the magical shimmer visible in the fabric. Threw it to Kira. “Use this. Makes landing softer if you accidentally fall from the wyvern during flight training. And you WILL fall. Multiple times. Everyone does when learning. It’s normal part of the process.”
Kira caught it. Put it on over her maid dress. Professional efficiency despite visible exhaustion from collar’s earlier punishment.
X gestured at the two wyverns standing patiently nearby. “Select one. Either works. Both trained. Both suitable for learning. Choose whichever feels right to you.”
Kira approached the wyverns slowly. Studied them both. Assessing. Considering. Making decision.
Chose the slightly smaller one. Less intimidating maybe. Easier to manage for beginner. More forgiving of mistakes.
She mounted. Awkwardly. Struggled with positioning. Found saddle configuration eventually. Settled into seat that clearly felt foreign and uncomfortable.
X watched with clinical assessment. “Now. Try not to fall off immediately. We’ll start with basic flight. Just staying mounted. Just maintaining position and balance. Actual maneuvering and control comes later if you survive the basics without breaking your neck.”
22 settled in to watch. Professional observation mode fully engaged.
This was going to be interesting. Possibly painful for Kira. Definitely educational about her actual capabilities and limitations.
The training was about to begin.
And 22 had already secured her real victory for the day. She’d agreed to finish the hot springs within three months. In exchange, Null had agreed to apply restrictions if X ever requested seed.
Small satisfactions. Petty victories. But genuinely satisfying nonetheless.
Bastard wouldn’t know what he was walking into if he ever asked. Wouldn’t understand the trap until restrictions settled and libido found itself suddenly contained and controlled.
Perfect revenge for seven hundred years of shameless behavior and wandering eyes and casual conquests.
22 allowed herself small smile. Hidden. Private. Just for herself.
Sometimes patience paid off. Sometimes planning worked. Sometimes waiting for right moment delivered exactly what was needed.
The wyvern shifted. Kira adjusted position. X called out instructions.
Training beginning. Two days ahead. Kira’s impossible challenge approaching.
But at least 22 had secured something valuable from this chaos. X’s future restrictions. Null’s cultural education. And finally getting the damn hot springs project off her to-do list.
That made everything worthwhile.
